Newly-elected Pak parliament to meet for first time today

Islamabad: Pakistan's newly-elected parliament is meeting on Monday for the first time to start the process of transition and handing over powers to the new government.

President Mamnoon Hussain has already summoned the maiden session of National Assembly, the lower house, at 10 am in parliament house here.

According to law, the speaker of the previous assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, will administer the oath to the new lawmakers, followed by election of the speaker and the deputy speaker.

After the election of the new speaker, the outgoing speaker will give him the oath and hand over charge of the new house.

Prime Minister-in-waiting Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged as the single largest party with 116 seats in the July 25 election. Its tally increased to 125 after nine independent members joined it.

The final tally of the PTI has reached 158 after it was allowed 28 out of 60 seats reserved for women.

The party is still 14 short of simple majority of 172 in the house of 342. But it has support of several smaller parties and it is expected to get support of at least 180 lawmakers in the election for speaker, deputy speaker and prime minister.

PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said the party has already nominated Khan as prime minister and Asad Qaisar as speaker. It has not announced the candidate for deputy speaker so far.

Party sources said the Cabinet list has not been finalised but there is general consensus that Shah Mahmood Qureshi will be the new foreign minister and Pervez Khattak as interior minister. Asad Umar is expected to get the key post of finance minister and Khan is also expected to appoint prominent businessman Abdul Razzak Dawood as advisor on finance. Dawood served in the cabinet of former military dictator Pervez Musharraf.